More information & references for male contraception

Advice

Men who want better choices should be following this advice found in
the following excellent article:
"Too
Much To Swallow?"

"If the idea of a male contraceptive seems like a good one to
you, there area few things you can do.

"First, educate yourself about the possible options.

"Second, e-mail or call a medical-research company to let them
know there are consumers eager for male contraceptives.

"Third, contact WHO, CONRAD, and the Population Council and lobby
them to do more of the great work they've already done."

Trust & risk

Different people accept different risks. Probably men who want to be
REALLY sure may take a combination of a hormonal & a non-hormonal
contraceptive. This may, for example, help guard against "a popping
condom". There is a separate question about whether women would trust
men sufficiently to stop using the female pill. (Some men may not want
them to do so - they would prefer the extra confidence).

Some of these questions were explored in a survey of many women in various
parts of the world:

Would you trust a man to take the pill?
BBC Sunday, 23 July, 2000
Men could be popping their own version of the contraceptive pill within
five years - but will it catch on, and more to the point will women trust
their partners to take it?

In India & China this isn't such a big problem. They have serious
population pressures, they have developed some technologies way beyond
the rest of the world, they have trialed using more than half-a-million
men, and they are going ahead relentlessly. It is more of an issue with
"the West". This will change from country to country. India
& China have their rules. The USA has its rules. Other countries,
such as the UK (where I live) have their rules.

Will they really happen?

There don't appear to be any "single points of failure" in
the worldwide development of such male contraceptives. Who would anyone
negotiate with?

There are perhaps 10 or more countries in the world actively involved
in the development of these technologies.

There are perhaps 10 or more different hormonal technologies being
developed.

There are perhaps 10 or more different non-hormonal technologies being
developed.

Obviously any individual country can try to inhibit the introduction
of these technologies into their country. Perhaps the USA will adopt these
technologies later than many other countries. How long will any country
be able to resist? Some of these technologies may not get to market. Others
will.

Approaches

There are many approaches.

One is specifically related to vasectomies - store your sperm first,
so you still have options.

"'100% success' for male pill trial"
The male pill could be available within five years
Edinburgh University scientists say the first clinical trials of a male
contraceptive pill suggest it is 100% effective, with no harmful consequences....
The studies in Edinburgh and in the Chinese city of Shanghai are the first
to be completed and the Scottish scientists leading the project say they
are delighted with the results. About 30 men at each of the centres took
the pill over a period of months. Edinburgh University's Centre for Reproductive
Biology said the sperm count for each of the men dropped to zero. In addition,
none experienced side effects such as acne and high blood pressure which
have dogged previous attempts to perfect the male pill."
BBC Monday, 17 July, 2000, 09:10 GMT 10:10 UK

It applies to Manchester too:

"Three Manchester researchers, Dr Morton Hair, DR Kay Kitteridge
and DR Fred Wu, will reveal their findings at the British Endocrine Societies
annual meeting in Bournemouth on Monday. They carried out their trials
on 23 local men. The volunteers took a progesterone hormone pill, while
wearing a body patch containing the sex hormone testosterone. The volunteers
were divided into three different groups, receiving low, medium and high
levels of the progesterone pill. Most of the men in the high and medium
groups showed no active sperm after three months. When they stopped taking
the pill their sperm counts gradually returned to normal."
(BBC 12.04.99).

Weeklywire
article:
"In China, more than half a million men have received either Shugs
or injectable plugs; all the men who had their plugs removed fathered
children within four years, and most within the year. Injectable plugs
are between 96 percent and 100 percent effective."

There are several research projects around the world developing chemical
male contraceptives of various kinds. (They may or may not be delivered
in pill form). There are also perhaps a dozen non-chemical technologies
variously being used; or being tested; or being developed.
http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/contraception/male.html
http://www.gumption.org/mcip/paper.html
http://www.weeklywire.com/ww/04-17-00/boston_feature_2.html
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/ARTICLES/bcfuture_m.html

Aarogya.com - "The Wellness Site"Indigenous male
contraceptive is here
NEW DELHI
"The phase-III clinical trials of the injectible male contraceptive,
jointly developed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here and All
India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), started in May this year
at three centers in the capital, according to S K Guha, biomedical engineer
at both the institutes, who has developed it. The contraceptive - a new
drug RISUG - is being tested, under Indian Council of Medical Research's
co-ordination, on 50 men each at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Lok Nayak
Jayprakash Narayan Hospital and Rural Medical Center, a private hospital.
.. But all of them said the results of Phase-I and II trials, conducted
in 1990-93 and 1993-97 respectively, were encouraging."

Once a high quality male contraceptive is available, there will not be
any excuse for men not to use it. The ideal situation is:
- Perfect male contraceptive.
- 100% Child Support compliance.

Men favour male pill
The Times February 23 2000 BRITAIN
Two thirds of men would use a male contraceptive Pill, and most of their
partners would trust them to do so, according to a study.

Sex, science and superglue
The Independent 18.05.00
It's 40 years since the pill revolutionised sexual habits. But now its
days may be numbered. In the next 40 years our contraceptives will take
the form of skin patches, superglue and sperm-killing antibodies
By Roger Dobson

Male pill is '100% effective'
The Times
July 17 2000 BRITAIN
Scientists carrying out the first international trials of a male contraceptive
pill have declared it 100 per cent effective, with no damaging side-effects.

Male Pill is 100% effective in UK trials
The Independent
By Paul Lashmar
17 July 2000
Scientists at Edinburgh University said yesterday they had made a breakthrough
in the race to put the first male contraceptive pill on the market.

Male pill breakthrough
BBC Monday, April 12, 1999
Until now contraceptive hormone combinations had to be injected Scientists
have developed an easy-to-use contraceptive pill and hormone patch for
men.

The male pill could be available within five years
BBC Monday, 17 July, 2000
'100% success' for male pill trial
Edinburgh University scientists say the first clinical trials of a male
contraceptive pill suggest it is 100% effective, with no harmful consequences.

Male pill moves closer
BBC Wednesday, 5 January, 2000
The production of a male contraceptive pill has moved a step closer after
scientists developed a way to dramatically reduce sperm ejaculation in
mice.

Male implant means birth control equality
Implants may be available for men as well as women
BBC Monday, 6 November, 2000
A birth control injection or implant for men could be on the market in
the UK within five to ten years, says a leading fertility expert.

I can understand why men don't like vasectomies. My uncle got a vasectomy,
and paid for it with Mastercard. He forgot to pay the bill, and the finance
company came over to his house and knocked up my aunt.